Building the Negative

With the positive and shadow mask together in a contact printing frame, exposure is made with the opal glass or plastic sheet covering the printing frame under the enlarger with original negative removed and even illumination covering all of the contact printer.

TEST:  [Note: This is done in tandem with the highlight mask test]

•    Make a guess at the exposure time and development concentration and time.
•    Expose a small piece of 4127 film cut from a piece of film from the same box as will be used.

        Note: 4127 film can vary widely from batch to batch.  Choose the same part of the image
                  that was used for the positive test.
•    Develop at concentration for time
•    stop
•    fix
•    rinse
•    evaluate on light table

Repeat above TEST steps until the negative looks right when registered with the highlight mask.
Enter date, image size, f-stop, exposure time, developer concentration and time into notebook.
 

MAKING THE NEGATIVE:

•    Expose a sheet of 4127 film for the exposure time
•    Develop at the concentration and time
•    Stop  30 sec.
•    Fix  2 - 4 min.
•    Rinse  1 min.
•    Hypo clear 1 min.
•    Wash  10 min.
•    Wet  30 sec.
•    Dry

After rinsing the negative and highlight mask may be viewed in registration to check if fine adjustments or dodging or burning are required.

     Note: Film can be saved by making a RC print to check for dodging and burning.  Also film processing
              can be calibrated using RC paper thus saving film.  One must establish the relation ship between
              the two materials.  If on has mastered the normalization technique use with the matrix, this will be
              quite simple.

 
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